Bartoluci, S. and Doupona-Topič, M.: a Young Athlete and the Challenges
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Bartoluci, S. and Doupona-Topič, M.: A young athlete and the challenges... Acta Kinesiologica 11 (2017) Suppl 1: 116-120 A YOUNG ATHLETE AND THE CHALLENGES OF NATIONAL IDENTITY: THE CASE OF JAKOV FAK Sunčica Bartoluci1 and Mojca Doupona-Topič2 1University of Zagreb, Faculty of Kinesiology, Croatia 2University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sports, Slovenia Review paper Abstract Jakov Fak is a highly successful Croatian/Slovene athlete. When he won a bronze medal for Croatia in 2009, his sport (biathlon) was almost completely unknown to the Croatian public. However, he later appeared in media headlines when he announced his transfer to Slovenia in order to gain better training conditions. In addition to the other challenges in his life (training, hard work, competitions, living space, quality of life, family, etc.), he faced specific challenges regarding his ethnic/national identification. In Croatia (as in many other post-socialist countries), ethnic/national identity is a very important social issue. The case of Jakov Fak is interesting from a sociological perspective because it allows us to observe how individual, sports-related choices brought questions of national (ethnic) identification to the general public, and laid a heavy burden on the shoulders of a young athlete. What should you do when your own country calls you a traitor if you decide to join another country’s team? The issues of training and finding ways to attain success in sports are also closely linked with questions of media attention and national/ethnic discourse in this case as well. This paper deals with the case of Jakov Fak, who made his choices despite having to face challenges unusual for a young athlete. Key words: Jakov Fak, young athlete, biathlon, national identity Introduction It is well known that sport in the sociological sense Under public pressure and through the work of the has been and remains a reflection of events on the Croatian Olympic Committee and the private social scene at large, allowing it to serve as a tool sector, funds were made available to ensure he for the understanding and analysis of society as a remain in Croatia. Cases of athletes who took whole (Perasović & Bartoluci, 2007). Numerous Croatian citizenship to compete for Croatia should examples show the irreplaceable role of sport and also be mentioned, such as footballer Eduardo da sporting successes in the construction and shaping Silva or basketball player Dontaye Draper. All of of national identity, especially in post-socialist these examples show the complexity of issues of societies (Bartoluci, 2013). Through the sporting national identity and the need for more successes of national heroes, individuals attain sociological analysis of its connection with pro- identity and feelings of pride, success, and power level sports. The issue of ethnic/national identity is they lack in their everyday lives, giving them a used regularly in political instrumentalisation, and status they would never have managed to attain antagonism between nations gradually moves through their own efforts. Anthony D. Smith from the political sphere to the world of sports. (1991, p. 160-1) says that perhaps the most The case of Jakov Fak, a Croatian biathlete, was important of function of national identity is “to also labelled as being of national significance and provide a satisfying answer to the problem of entered the limelight in 2009 after he won a personal oblivion. Identification with the ‘nation’ in bronze medal at the World Championship in South a secular era is the surest way to surmount the Korea. At this time, stories began appearing finality of death and ensure a measure of personal concerning his potentially exchanging his Croatian immortality.” The history of Croatian sport citizenship for Slovenian citizenship. Less than a provides a large number of examples of the year before winning his first medal at the World labelling of athletes who changed their citizenship Biathlon Championship,he began training with the (or considered doing so) and began competing for Slovenian team, led by Slovenian coach Uroš another nation-state, either out of mainly Velepec. An internal agreement existed between economic reasons or to attain better training the federations that Jakov Fak would begin conditions. Some of these cases went “under the competing for Slovenia after the end of the 2010 radar” of the general public, and most discussions Olympic cycle. It must be noted that training evaluating the decision to change citizenship only conditions for the biathlon in Croatia were took place after the athlete in question attained inadequate at the time, and that international significant sporting success. This was the case competitions in the biathlon are of key importance with Mirna Jukić, a swimmer of Croatian descent as no club teams exist, making international who had competed for Austria for years. Ten years competitions the only opportunity for biathletes to ago, swimmer Duje Draganja garnered public compete. What makes this case sociologically attention when he announced that he was going to interesting is the fact that a nearly unknown sport swim for Qatar. became well-known to the public almost overnight 116 Bartoluci, S. and Doupona-Topič, M.: A young athlete and the challenges... Acta Kinesiologica 11 (2017) Suppl 1: 116-120 – Jakov’s medal at the World Championship was Concerning this issue, Jakov stated: I felt as if Croatia’s first-ever medal in the biathlon. Likewise, most people didn’t really understand how hard it the issue of Jakov Fak transferring from the was, and I was hurt by the fact that my medal Croatian team to the Slovenian team became an received a lot of attention, but only for a week, issue of “national” importance. In addition to the after which everything went back to how it used to other challenges in his life (training, hard work, be (Beluhan, 2010a). He explained the lack of competitions, living space, quality of life, family, interest in the biathlon among both the sports etc.), Jakov Fak faced specific challenges community and the general public as follows: regarding his ethnic/national identification. In this Athletes usually joke that fame in less important case, we can observe how individual, sports- sports lasts as long as the flowers you get at the related choices brought questions of national awards ceremony. So, when the flowers die a (ethnic) identification to the general public, and week later, your presence in the media dies too, laid a heavy burden on the shoulders of a young and you simply find yourself back on the margins. athlete. The aim of this research is to answer (personal communication, October 20, 2016). three questions: (a) how do Croatian and After his sporting successes, media reports of Slovenian print media perceive Jakov Fak as a Jakov’s transfer to Slovenia became a more young athlete; (b) which challenges and dilemmas common topic in both the Croatian and Slovenian did he have to face in his sports career, and; media. This transfer meant a change of citizenship (c)were these challenges related to issues of (nationality). Overnight, this previously unknown ethnic and civic nationalism? sport became recognized by the public, and switching from the Croatian team to the Slovenian Materials and Methods was an issue of “national” significance. Robert Kontak, the secretary general of the Croatian This paper deals with different media Biathlon Federation, said: “I am angry that the interpretations of this case in two countries, media constantly mentions Slovenia alongside Croatia and Slovenia. Different qualitative Fak’s name. Rubbish. They’ll pronounce him a methods were used – an interview with Jakov Fak, Slovenian in the end” (Dominković, 2009, p. 20). as well as content and discourse analysis of print media and documents. The analysis was After the first reports of his transfer from the performed on all texts concerning this topic Croatian team to the Slovenian team, Jakov was published in three high-circulation Croatian daily labelled by some of the Croatian media, while the newspapers – Jutarnji list, Večernji list, and Slovenian media “cheered” for his transfer to Sportske novosti – and three high-circulation Slovenia. This was not the first case of the Slovenian daily newspapers – Dnevnik, Delo, and labelling of a Croatian athlete who changed his Ekipa – three days before tournaments, during citizenship to ensure better sports training tournaments, and three days after tournaments. conditions. The biathlon, which had been We analysed two sporting events – the 2009 completely unknown to the Croatian media a few World Biathlon Championship and the 2010 Winter months prior, had suddenly become a political Olympics. We also analysed articles published in issue. This issue of “national importance” – rather, the digital editions of these newspapers during the the politicisation of the case – was to intensify summer of 2010. during the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, where Jakov won a bronze medal. The analysis of Results the discourse in media writings shows the complexity of the situation in which this young At the time of the 2009 World Biathlon athlete found himself as he was competing for one Championship in South Korea, both Jakov himself state but training in another. Both the Croatians and biathlon as a sport were completely unknown and the Slovenians wanted to place him under and unrecognized by the Croatian public and their flag. Despite the support of the Slovenian media. At this same time, the situation in Slovenia media and mostly affirmative reports on his differed significantly. Slovenians are usually successes, it was apparent that the people in known as a skiing nation, so the biathlon has a charge of the Slovenian biathlon were completely different status in Slovenia. For categorically insisting he change teams, because example, the day before the race in which he otherwise, as trainer Velepec stated, Jakov would win the bronze medal, the Croatian media “wouldn’t have anywhere to train!” (Hebar & did not write about the biathlon or about this race.